Objective:
To determine areas and rates of water loss within the HC&S sugar cane plantation under canals and reservoirs. A better understanding of the water balance will allow more efficient water management and will potentially provide sustainable biofuel production.

Approach:
Electrical resistivity techniques are being used to determine areas of active seepage under the reservoirs and flow paths under the reservoirs and dams. To quantify reservoir seepage, two techniques are being evaluated. The first is a seepage meter and the second is a ponding test. Because ponding water in canals is not feasible under HC&S operating conditions, Doppler radars are being used to quantify seepage rates under irrigation canals. Flow rates are measured at two sections of canal at a maximum distance that does not include outtakes. The difference in flow is the loss or seepage rate between the two sections.